The sweetest lemon

What a surprise Friday afternoon to find a box of fresh citrus sitting on our front porch when we got home! My grandma lives in Southern California and has grapefruit, orange, and Meyer lemon trees. She has an abundance of them and knows how much we love her fresh citrus, so she decided to share the wealth. We were thrilled!

Meyer lemons are unlike regular store-bought lemons. They are so much sweeter, less mouth-puckering, and have such a great flavor you could almost eat them by themselves. I decided to make lemon bars with a few of the lemons. I have a lemon bar recipe I love, and I knew they would be even more amaizng with these fresh Meyer lemons.

This recipe is a Martha Stewart recipe, and the only change I have made is to add lemon zest to the lemon filling. I think the lemon zest has as much flavor as the juice and adds a depth that is not present otherwise. I have tried many lemon bar recipes and the reason I like this one so much is that the shortbread crust is so tender from the addition of cornstarch. I don't like lemon bars where you have to really bite through the crust and make a mess of the lemon filling. This crust is tender, buttery, and just sweet enough to complement the lemon curd topping.

I hope these lemon bars brighten up these dark January days for you as they did for me. Enjoy!

Lemon Bars, adapted from "Everyday Food," April 2004

For the crust

Non-stick cooking spray
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sifting
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the filling

 
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (preferably Meyer lemon juice)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray; line pan with two crisscrossed rectangles of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse flour with confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and then use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mixture. Press into bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of prepared pan. The mixture will seem very dry but should hold together when pressed down. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Bake until crust is lightly browned 20 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.

Meanwhile, make the lemon filling: In a bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until thick. Beat in granulated sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour over warm crust. Bake until set, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature; refrigerate about 1 hour.

Using paper overhang as an aid, lift square from pan. Sift remaining tablespoon confectioners' sugar over the top. Cut into 16 squares.